The U.S.-Australia production and distribution company has created Chinalight, which aims to build on films like ‘Bait 3D’ and the upcoming ‘Guardians of the Tomb.’

Arclight Films is taking a major step into the Chinese market, announcing the launch of development arm Chinalight.

Chinalight aims to develop a slate of official Australia-China co-productions, using the treaty that’s been in place since 2006 but under which only five films have been made.

Arclight, headquartered in Los Angeles and Sydney, also has offices in Beijing and Hong Kong. Executive Jenevieve Chang, whose memoir, The Good Girl of Chinatown, about growing up in Australia and returning to China as an adult was published by Penguin Random House this year, will head up the new division, based in Sydney.

With production recently wrapped on Guardians of the Tomb, the largest China-Australia co-production to date, Arclight wants to become the market leader in initiating new collaborations in financing, development and production between the two countries.

Guardians of the Tomb stars an international cast including Li Bingbing, Kellan Lutz, Kelsey Grammer and Chinese pop star and actor Wu Chun. The film is being produced by Gary Hamilton, Ying Ye and Mark Lazarus and directed by Kimble Rendall, whose debut feature, Bait 3D, became one of the highest-grossing Australian films in the history of Chinese cinema.

Chinalight has put out a call for writers, producers and directors with proposals for genuine China/Australia co-production feature films. Successful applicants will be invited to take part in a hothouse script development laboratory to develop their ideas into potential projects.